Tuesday December 18, 2018

What Would an HIV Doula Do? on ALTERNATE ENDINGS, ACTIVIST RISINGS
by Visual AIDS

WHAT WOULD AN HIV DOULA DO? created the ALTERNATE ENDINGS, ACTIVIST RISINGS resource guide for Day With(out) Art 2018. Over the course of two nights we gathered to watch the films, wrote about them as part of our reflective process, and then discussed them together as a group, listening to each other to figure out what prompts, questions and resources could be most helpful and empowering. (You can view the resource guide online here.)

We are excited that the videos are available online, along with the resource guide, to share with the world! People can organize their own intimate screenings, watch them again at home, and share the work with people they know will benefit from the exposure.

In making the guide, it was these smaller scale viewing possibilities we were thinking about. So often many of us consume media looking to recognize ourselves on the screen or are attempting to escape ourselves by being immersed in other people's realities. To help us make best use of these instincts and move beyond, we often need someone or something to push us to consider other ideas, feelings and ways of viewing. This is what we hope the guide does; act as moderator, facilitator or viewing companion between friends, peers, co-workers or even one's self. We hope it creates engaging and thoughtful discussions, opportunities to share, and catalysts for change and action.

For those who have already read the guide, and are planning on watching the films again, we offer new questions below:

Too often when people think about art, their mind goes to galleries, and museums. In ALTERNATE ENDINGS, ACTIVIST RISINGS we see communities claiming art outside of such spaces and into their everyday way of being. How can an activist-informed idea of art help us to better appreciate everything from cave drawings, to poetry, to selfies?

How can the strategies explored in the films be applied beyond HIV/AIDS? For example, how can recognizing a diversity of community groups working on a single issue from different angles enable us to recognize the herculean effort activists, care workers and others have been doing in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria?

Throughout the films we see people living with HIV doing grassroots work. What does it mean for a movement when people most impacted are at the core of the work? How was this a key to the historic activism at Standing Rock? The Civil Rights Movement?

While each film is about HIV, each also takes an intersectional look at the impact of the virus. How can this be useful for people thinking about gender? Feminism can feel like an overwhelming topic that is often easier to dismiss than engage. How can ALTERNATE ENDINGS, ACTIVIST RISINGS's approach to HIV enable people to break down feminism into relatable and understandable parts?

Lastly, but maybe a good place to start: what movements, concerns, or ideas do the films bring up for you? What questions do you have?

Thank you for joining us in these conversations about HIV/AIDS, community, culture and justice. We made the guide as a way to connect, to hold space through art and across time and experience. Feel free to email us with any of your ideas, feelings or even responses to the questions: [email protected]